Snow of 1947

razor8

Excellent read

https://turtlebunbury.wordpress.com/2017/12/13/the-big-snow-of-1947/

cnoc

A very interesting article. My wife's father spoke about the winter of 1947 and how dangerous.

What is a "mías" mentioned in the article?

Base price

cnoc wrote: »

A very interesting article. My wife's father spoke about the winter of 1947 and how dangerous.

What is a "mías" mentioned in the article?

Just looked it up and apparently its a dish or basin.

whelan2

My mother was born in Clonegal in april 1947, there were still snow drifts. Her sister had been sent to their granny's in Kiltealy and she was stuck there for 6 weeks the snow was so bad. Must send that article on to her

grassroot1

whelan2 wrote: »

My mother was born in Clonegal in april 1947, there were still snow drifts. Her sister had been sent to their granny's in Kiltealy and she was stuck there for 6 weeks the snow was so bad. Must send that article on to her

Suddenly it all becomes clear!

Muckit

Those 'Vanishing Ireland' books are very good. Have 2 of them. Dear enough but they can be sourced in local libraries too.

Odelay

"A marooned old timer in Killeshandra, Co. Cavan, packed a large cauldron with as much snow as he could gather and was dismayed to find that, when boiled, he only had a half pint of water."

Says it all. Pure hardship.

_Brian

My dad often spoke of it and the hardships that went with it.

Nearly everyone was on shallow trickle wells just deep to sink a bucket into, nearly all froze and stayed frozen for a long time. Fresh water had to be carried a long distance from whatever source wasn’t frozen.

They had lurchers and hunted a good bit for rabbits and hares which where good to trade for tea and sugar.

kk.man

_Brian wrote: »

My dad often spoke of it and the hardships that went with it.

Nearly everyone was on shallow trickle wells just deep to sink a bucket into, nearly all froze and stayed frozen for a long time. Fresh water had to be carried a long distance from whatever source wasn’t frozen.

They had lurchers and hunted a good bit for rabbits and hares which where good to trade for tea and sugar.

My dad said the same.
He said the drifts were unreal.

Tiercel Dave

Here in East Galway they remember 1947 as the year that the cattle ate the thatch off Chrissy Hickey's house.....

Say my name

kk.man wrote: »

My dad said the same.
He said the drifts were unreal.

My father said the same.
That the snow was blown off the Blackstairs and the fields around were bare but the snow was drifted onto the roads. Trapped between the ditches.

coolshannagh28

According to my father the drifts filled the roads to the top of the hedges and the people walked the fields instead.

arctictree

coolshannagh28 wrote: »

According to my father the drifts filled the roads to the top of the hedges and the people walked the fields instead.

Had to do the same myself today!

Birdnuts

2 brothers died in Snowdrifts looking for Sheep in North Mayo that February.

Nekarsulm

Odelay wrote: »

"A marooned old timer in Killeshandra, Co. Cavan, packed a large cauldron with as much snow as he could gather and was dismayed to find that, when boiled, he only had a half pint of water."

Says it all. Pure hardship.

According to my Dad, that winter for the first time in living memory the timber on an island on the lake at Killeshandra was felled and all dragged across the ice by teams of horses.
They put "frost nails" in the horses shoes for grip.

In that article a man called Johnny Golden is mentioned. He came as a teenager to live in Killashandra, and was a lifelong vintage tractor fan. He was killed/murdered back in 2010, aged 73.

razor8

Nekarsulm wrote: »

According to my Dad, that winter for the first time in living memory the timber on an island on the lake at Killeshandra was felled and all dragged across the ice by teams of horses.
They put "frost nails" in the horses shoes for grip.

In that article a man called Johnny Golden is mentioned. He came as a teenager to live in Killashandra, and was a lifelong vintage tractor fan. He was killed/murdered back in 2010, aged 73.

What was that article in? Love to read it

Nekarsulm

razor8 wrote: »

What was that article in? Love to read it

Johnny was mentioned in the original article you linked to, in post #1.
He was also featured in one of the Vanishing Ireland books.

If you Google his name, you'll get lots of results ..........

Melodeon

The article is also online at the Ireland's Own website, including photos:
https://www.irelandsown.ie/from-the-archives-the-big-snow-of-1947/

razor8

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Johnny was mentioned in the original article you linked to, in post #1.
He was also featured in one of the Vanishing Ireland books.

If you Google his name, you'll get lots of results ..........

He only lived over the road for me here. I hadn’t copped it was same Jonny when I read it first

He came to a sad ending .

Nekarsulm

razor8 wrote: »

He only lived over the road for me here. I hadn’t copped it was same Jonny when I read it first

He came to a sad ending .

He was known as Johnny Gould, or just Gouldie here.
Many people were surprised to learn his surname was actually Golden.
Yes, a sad ending indeed.

nuac

I remember the 1947 blizzard in West Mayo. Great hardships, especially for those living out the country. Deed drifts of snow which lasted months.

Funerals delayed ( altho' I was too young at the time to know how undertakers coped )

Dakota Dan

Wasn't there some year in the 60's where people were snowed in for 6 weeks? Imagine that happening now, people would go mental.

Water John

1963.

solerina

Yeah 1963, it started snowing on New Years day (according to my MIL) and the snow lasted for 7 weeks, there were 10 foot banks everywhere !! Said the snow this weekend isn't far off it, except that its starting to melt already. I don't know how they managed.

Dakota Dan

solerina wrote: »

Yeah 1963, it started snowing on New Years day (according to my MIL) and the snow lasted for 7 weeks, there were 10 foot banks everywhere !! Said the snow this weekend isn't far off it, except that its starting to melt already. I don't know how they managed.

We only got about 4 inches in North Cork and it's melting fast today, some mess though. 2 days snow in total. They did get it rough in Cork city and west Cork though.

Back in 63 people were more used to living rough compared to nowadays. I remember in the 70's no houses had insulation and loads of older houses had stone walls. Our house had stone walls and the Stanley range provided heat that quickly disappeared if you didn't stay close to it. I heard of a man that worked in a factory making cardboard boxes and he brought home a few boxes and placed the chairs around the fire and made a canopy of the cardboard boxes around each chair to trap the heat Back then it was hot water bottles for every bed and plenty chilblains during winter which are unheard of nowadays.

Water John

Was fecking bloody miserable. The good auld days, me arse.

Dakota Dan

Water John wrote: »

Was fecking bloody miserable. The good auld days, me arse.

But we were happy though

Water John

Not quite.

Dakota Dan

Water John wrote: »

Not quite.

Well we were young, nothing worse than getting old. Remember toasting two slices of bread in front of the Stanley and we survived. No misery gloom and doom sh1t in the media like nowadays not that bad.

50HX

Dakota Dan wrote: »

Well we were young, nothing worse than getting old. Remember toasting two slices of bread in front of the Stanley and we survived. No misery gloom and doom sh1t in the media like nowadays not that bad.

couldnt agree more

the media are thier own worst enemy at times...over reporting/reacting/anlaysis on everything now

social media as well has taken the "lets get on with" out of a lot of things now...its all look at me& poor me now with bookface twitter etc

check me out and i not even 40 haha

rant over ...off to bed after 2nites calving and mulcking with frozen pipes

jmrc

in 47, bodies were left in the graveyard covered in snow till the thaw came.
the thaw from that snow filled the blessington lakes.
63 they walked the Blessington lakes and drove cars on it.

lease most got moving inside a week this time around.

vincenzolorenzo

My grandfather often told us there was snow on the ground in Mayo in 1947 til May Day :eek:

Bog Man 1

vincenzolorenzo wrote: »

My grandfather often told us there was snow on the ground in Mayo in 1947 til May Day :eek:

If there is snow on the hills on the first of may you do not have to pay any rent .